!@! Transform or Die: It’s Time to Adapt to the Digital World

No matter where you go for your technology news (and we’re hoping it’s UC Today), there’s a good chance that you’ll encounter countless messages about what you need to do to prepare your company for the growing importance of digital transformation.

Now, let’s start by saying one thing: Digital transformation isn’t a new concept. The truth is that you’ve seen it a lot – in everything from our desire to embrace new mobile devices, to our attempts to implement IoT into the world environment. However, just because it’s new – doesn’t mean it’s not important.

Staying ahead of the curve in business means knowing your industry. From understanding your customers and what they want from you, to figuring out the challenges and opportunities presented by your competition, you need to be ready to evolve from all angles, at all times.

Digital transformation is just one aspect of that evolution. By applying digital technologies to all areas of your business, and making the most of what new innovations have to offer, you can ensure that you’re one step ahead of the people trying to steal your customers.

While there’s no specific road-map for making digital transformation work for you, there are a few key tips you can follow to make your implementation more successful.

Understanding Digital Transformation: Making it Work for You

First of all, digital transformation isn’t a simple concept – if the countless articles you’ve read about the topic up to now are anything to go by, the chances are you’ll be well versed in the complexities of digital evolution. Though there are potentially endless opportunities out there for companies who want to digitally evolve, from concepts like cloud computing and communications to elements like IoT or AI, there are also restrictions to think about.

Before you begin your journey into digital transformation, you’ll need to think about what you want to accomplish with this new technique. Are you hoping to make your customer’s life simpler when they’re interacting with your brand? If so, then you might want to think about improving the point of purchase with electronic payments, and chatbots that answer consumer questions instantly.

You’ll also need to consider how you can take advantage of new technologies in a way that’s effective and efficient for your business. For instance, could adapting modern-day APIs be a solution that allows you to build upon someone else’s technology, to create a digital transformation strategy that works for you? One example could be using a chat API, rather than building your own from scratch.

It all Starts With Communication

One thing that you might have noticed recently in the technical world, is that communication and collaboration are becoming extensive parts of the business journey. The good news, is that both of these features can contribute significantly to your process in terms of digital transformation. Just consider the way that we’re starting to virtualise the conference-room experience, for instance.

With everything from huddle rooms, to collaboration applications, we’re bringing people together in new ways that are changing the face of business forever. Today, we have more people working remotely across the world than ever before.

Of course, it’s not just internal communication that we need to think about here. Enterprise-level communication needs to evolve too. Consider, for instance, the rise of the omni-channel contact centres, or CPaaS which drives the development of new products and applications that make it easier for brands and consumers to connect.

Apple, as one example, recently introduced business chat as a way of allowing their customers to ask for real-time assistance from experts. APIs have made it easier for us to implement incredible new chatbot systems and AIs that reduce the need for over-crowded contact centres. Even the development of automation has led to more personalised systems for communication. One example, for instance, is the Mass Notification System by Mitel that can initiate audio conferences and send text alerts based on specific events.

It seems that digital technologies will continue to evolve rapidly in the future as we move forward to a true understanding of digital transformation. While we’re sure to see developments in more “exciting” areas like AR, VR, and robotics, it’s worth paying attention to the role communication has to play in digital transformation.